Glory
by entwined-in-a-web
Summary: Reaper!AU Alois Trancy is a young Reaper in training, living with his adoptive mother, Grell. He lives a normal life. He attends Academy, has family dinners, hangs around other Reapers his age. But there are secrets that even Alois doesn't know. Why does he have nightmares of the mysterious rosy-cheeked little boy? And what will happen when he learns the truth? TW: Violence/gore
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey guys! So yeah, finally feeling some inspiration for writing again! My friend and I have been talking about Reaper!Alois for a while, so I decided to go ahead and write about it. This is an AU that takes places a year after the opening of season two. The original timeline in accordance to the plot of the second season will make more sense as the story goes on. For now, Alois had died and is now a Reaper in training.**

**More to come soon! Please review if you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Kuro :P **

_A man of words and not of deeds_  
_Is like a garden full of weeds  
And when the weeds begin to grow_  
_It's like a garden full of snow_

"S-Stay back! I'm warning you! Don't come any closer!"

_And when the snow begins to fall_  
_It's like a bird upon the wall_  
_And when the bird away does fly_  
_It's like an eagle in the sky_

"P-Please! I never meant to harm anyone! I was out of my mind, I wasn't myself! It was the alcohol! She tempted me! Put your weapon down!"

_And when the sky begins to roar_  
_It's like a lion at the door_  
_And when the door begins to crack_  
_It's like a stick across your back_

"I'M WARNING YOU, BOY! PUT THE WEAPON DOWN! PLEASE HAVE MERCY! SPARE ME!"

_And when your back begins to smart_  
_It's like a penknife in your heart_

"PLEASE! I'M BEGGING YOU, SPARE M-!"

_And when your heart begins to bleed_  
_You're dead, and dead, and dead indeed._

"…_**justice**_**."**

* * *

The bell had begun to toll, echoing through the halls of the Academy. Young boys and girls rushed to gather their books, write down their assignments and rush home for the day. It was a chrome-washed building filled with book smart professors and obedient students. Each day was the same. Go to class, go to lunch, finish class, go home and work. And that was the life they expected after school as well.

Work, work, there was always so much work.

And they never expected it to stop. For their work was some of the most important work.

They were Grim Reapers, after all.

In Academy, training to be full-fledged Reapers in the field, the students sat day after day, learning ethics and techniques. Each had a sickle at their side, matching black suits, and the same pair of glasses on the bridge of each nose. Life had been calmly mundane for the young Reapers. Nothing terrible ever happened to them. There were hardly any instances of broken routine. They simply did their duty to their families and their society.

And Alois Trancy was no exception to that rule.

Fifteen year old Alois was just like any other reaper his age. He was young, he was reckless, but he was obedient and calm when he needed to be. He went to Academy and studied like everyone else. He struggled a bit more than the others, but he succeeded anyway.

He had a simple life. A life of schoolwork, training and family time. He lived in a quiet flat with his adoptive mother and (sometimes) her lover. Despite the eccentric woman she was, Alois loved her dearly. She had rescued him, she'd given him a home and encouragement to enter the Academy. She was everything to him.

The little blond had reached the door to his flat, fingers fiddling in his pocket to find the key. He was a bit tired from his training for today, and living all the way up on the 14th floor didn't help a bit. It wasn't unlikely for Reapers to live in such tall and constrained situations. It made more room, building things taller rather than wider.

He finally reached his key, unlocking the door and entering. Ah….home.

Their loft was a lovely break from the chrome-painted walls of the Academy and the white-washed cubicles of the Dispatch. The walls were painted white, but were accented by dramatics splashes of red. Red carpeting, red sofa, red decorations lining the walls. For those who had never met the little family before, it was easy to see a pattern in their home.

The boy tossed his books down onto the coffee table, plopping himself down on the couch. He was exhausted. "Muuuuuuum…." He whined, curling up into a little ball. "I'm starving. Are you making dinner yet?"

"You're home so soon?" A voice called from the kitchen in response. Before the Reaper said another word, she appeared in front of the boy, smacking the top of his head lightly. "Get your filthy shoes off my bloody sofa. I didn't raise you to be an animal."

"Mum, you didn't raise me at all." He snickered, sitting upright and kicking off his shoes to appease his mother. He glanced up at the mess of long, red hair that stood before him. He could tell she had been working hard in the kitchen. Her hair had been pulled up, sitting in a messy bun atop her head. She had changed from her work clothes and had dressed in a pair of old slacks and a t-shirt, all covered in flour and egg.

"What are you looking at, darling?" She asked, crossing her arms over her red apron-clad chest.

"….Will's coming over, isn't he?"

Such a random change of subject. But it was expected from her boy. He was always quick to pick up on cues. Whether that was a good or bad thing, however, she never quite knew. Yes, Grell had always had her hands full when it came to the little blond.

"He is coming over. He's been working long hours at the Dispatch and I thought I'd take my day off to do something nice for him." Grell explained simply.

"Why? So he'll fuck you again?"

Dual-colored eyes widened, a flushed and furious expression now painting her face. "Language, young man! And that….that's just an added bonus!"

The blond shrugged, lying back down on the couch, green eye closing carelessly. He definitely was tired. He didn't have the energy to tease his mother any longer. "I don't know what you see in him…He's so dull. And all you do is fight with each other."

"William isn't dull." Grell sighed, leaning against the arm of the sofa, arms still crossed. "That's just how he's always been. I find it quite endearing sometimes." Her French tipped fingers laid atop his head, beginning to smooth down the messy blond locks. She knew that he didn't like when they fought. He didn't like to see her upset. "Sometimes we have disagreements…but it doesn't mean we don't love each other. It's just like you and I. I don't always agree on what you do, but I still love you. And I always will."

Alois' face didn't show it, but he was happy. He was incredibly happy to hear those words coming from his mother. He was always a lonely child. He never had any real friends here, and the others didn't seem to get along with him that well. But he was happy enough with his small family. He was glad his mother loved him. And he loved her right back. She meant the world to him. Without her, he was just some plain, silly boy.

"I love you too, Mum…" he muttered back, opening his eyes and smiling up at her.

Grell's face softened into a smile, leaning down to kiss the top of the boy's head. "Go get changed. William should be over shortly and dinner will be done soon."

"Alright, Mum…" He answered, lifting himself off of the sofa, grabbing his books up. He couldn't wait to get out of this damn suit. It was so uncomfortable…He trailed off to his room, closing the door behind him for privacy.

His room was nothing like the main room of the loft. It was a light blue in color, the sheets on the bed were messy and unmade. A keyboard sat in the corner and his desk was covered with papers and books. And to top it off, he had a neat pile of dirty laundry sitting next to his closet door. It wasn't until Alois was in his room that he began to feel like a child and not an adult. Carefree and disorganized and hidden from the rest of the world.

He searched through his closet, trying to find some clean, casual clothes to wear for the night. But his mind was in another place. He was just happy.

Alois loved his life. He loved his family. He loved everything.

But little did he know that soon, everything he knew would be wrong.


	2. Chapter 2

Alois was up bright and early the next morning. Training began at eight and tardiness was not tolerated. He knew his schooling had to take priority over everything. He was the son of one of the Dispatch's most…_well-known_ reapers. He had an image to maintain, albeit a much different social image than that of his mother. Being late for training would shed poor light not only on him, but his family.

The blond was to report to the Library of Records at regular class time. Luckily for him, however, he'd spent some time there before. He knew where he was going. It was a grand building, like none of the others in the realm. The others were masked with chrome and steel. This building was of the purest white. It stood like a cathedral in the center of town. The long, wide staircase cascaded down into the streets, as pure white as a bride's dress.

He began to ascend the stairs, a lone patch of black on a blank, white canvas. It was rather empty for this early in the morning. Normally people would be bustling in to work and study and distribute collections and such. But Alois saw no one. Walking up to the building felt like he was the only being in the world. All he could hear was the sound of distant traffic and his clicking footsteps as he came closer and closer to his destination.

He entered into the building and saw a good number of his classmates already formed into a small group in the main foyer. The blond simply sat himself to the side, eyes remaining occupied by observing the detailed ceilings of the foyer. Beautiful designs, borders, domes, lighting, all in white. But even the beauty of the building couldn't keep his mind from racing.

He knew he was not well-liked by his peers. He was the strange, quiet boy. The one who had entered into the Academy halfway through their training. The mysterious boy who had shown up out of the blue one day. Everyone had been together so long that they had established friendships and cliques. Alois didn't feel like he belonged here. And his peers could only confirm it.

He always wondered about his past….where he came from, how he ended up here… No one seemed to know. No one seemed to question it, even his mother didn't. She treated him as if he were a normal child. It was something that almost constantly bothered him, but he would never let it show. Perhaps there was nothing to worry about. Perhaps everything was just fine.

…but what if it wasn't?

"If you'll follow me, we'll begin our tour of the establishment."

That snapped Alois from his trance. As he looked back at the group, he could see them moving further into the building, an older reaper leading them along. Taking cautious steps, he trailed behind the group. The tour guide had begun talking about the architecture and the history of the building, but only half of the man's muffled words reached the boy's ears. How dull… This would take longer than expected.

"And if you look to your right, you'll see a classic mosaic from the Reformation era. It was commissioned in…and it…..created by…."

The blond's mind began to wander again. He soon forgot his world of classes and tours and history. He stared at the mosaic in question. It portrayed heaven and the angels, the human realm, purgatory, the reaper realm…and at the bottom, demons in hell. His eyes remained glued on the dark creatures at the bottom of the frame. Red and gold eyes, horns, clad in black…They looked terrifying. But the more he looked at the, the more he began to feel uncomfortable. Something struck a chord within him. He couldn't put his finger on it, but it was an odd feeling. Almost as if it were a déjà vu….so strange….

"Can anyone tell me what this portrait portrays?" The guide spoke once more, trying to get the group of young reapers to participate. "Yes, you in the front…"

A brunette girl with obscenely curly locks happily put down her hand as she was called on. "It's a depiction of Judgment."

"Correct." The old man praised, bringing the students' attention back to the mosaic. "The Judgment of a human soul occurs after death. Reapers stationed in the Collections Department will reap the soul from the body and will observe its Cinematic Record. From there, what happens?"

A redheaded boy near Alois raised his hand. "The reaper will determine the soul's destination, right?"

"Yes. And what are those destinations?"

The blond carefully raised his hand, hoping that this would be good to prove to the others that he wasn't stupid. He knew what he was talking about.

The old man at the front of the group gave a small sigh. "Trancy…I'd expect you to know this, with your family and all."

Alois cringed at the mention of his mother. God, he hated it sometimes, being related to someone so notoriously known throughout the Dispatch. He was held to high standards, exceptionally high standards. And it made him anxious, even if he was confident beforehand. "If I may answer your question, sir. When a soul is Judged its entire life is looked over to determine if it should go to Heaven or Hell. If the person was generally a kind and docile person, they'll go to Heaven. If they were violent, lewd, blasphemous and such, they'll be sent to Hell."

He looked around, feeling his classmates' eyes all on him. He was normally quiet, he normally struggled with schoolwork. Being talkative and informative like this was something new to him. So he continued.

"There are exceptions as well, sir…"

"Very nicely stated, Trancy…" The guide muttered. "And a very nice segue to our next topic. If you'll follow me." With that, the old man led the group through the corridors and into the Library.

The walls were lined with books, all containing the Cinematic Records of those past. There had to be billions of books, all stacked miles high. Alois found it eerie…all of these people were dead and were just sitting in this one room forever and ever.

The man took one book off of the shelf and began passing it around. "Can anyone tell me something odd about this Record?"

"It's blank, sir." A boy at the front answered.

"Very good. Does anyone know why it's blank?"

Alois spoke up once more. "Demon interference." Again, all eyes were on him. They'd only begun their demon studies courses. This was rather advanced for a reaper of Alois' age. "Mum's told me about it. Demons feed off of human souls. Some are greedy and consume, but most contract a human. When their soul is taken, it goes neither to Heaven or Hell, or even Purgatory. It remains with the demon in eternal nothingness. So we….can't collect the Record of a person contracted to a demon."

"A perfect answer, Trancy. Your mother would be proud." The man took the Record back once it reached the front, placing it on the shelf. "Like your classmate said, this was the record of a woman who had been contracted to a demon. Her soul was consumed instead of collected. However, there are other instances of souls going elsewhere after death."

This sparked Alois' attention. If one wasn't in the belly of a demon or in the afterlife, then where could they go? It wasn't possible….was it?

"It's been shown that those who were exceptionally immoral in their human lives will be born in the next as a demon. It has happened several times, to be exact. So…just as demons are born from wayward humans, reapers are as well."

The room went silent quickly. Alois was certain that he wasn't the only one who was incredibly concerned with what had just been said. Grell hadn't told him about that…He had been human? He'd had a family? A life?

"But sir…" The curly haired girl asked. "What makes one stand out to be reborn a reaper?"

"They are neither immaculate nor malevolent. They are those who remain in Purgatory. Those who a reaper feels could benefit not only our race, but the human race as well. Those who died abruptly, those who had unfinished business in the world. Those are the people who are most likely to become reapers."

Was he like that? Had Alois died suddenly? What was his business? He wasn't sure he liked what he was being told. There was so much mystery, so much he wasn't understanding. Why hadn't anyone told him that? The boy raised his hand once last time. "If…reapers are humans….do we have Cinematic Records as well?"

The silence in the room only continued. No one said a single word. Not his classmates, not his professor, not the guide. It was a strange reaction, one Alois hadn't been expecting. He had awaited an answer…but there was still nothing.

The guide cleared his throat, looking the blond in the eyes. "As…gods of death…We are not to know about our past lives. We need to be able to judge a soul without attachment or emotion, like a human would. Viewing our Records would only cause dissonance. No reaper alive has seen their record. They are heavily guarded in a part of this library."

Alois could hear murmurs from his classmates, everyone just as interested on the subject as he was. Why were they locked away? Why were emotions considered horrible things? Wouldn't connecting with the person you reap make for a better transaction? He didn't agree with this…he didn't agree at all.

"Now, if we move on, you'll see a group of…."

It was at that moment that he stopped paying attention. His mind was elsewhere…

* * *

The boy remained quiet for the rest of the day. He was puzzled, he was confused. Perhaps not knowing of his previous life was a burden all reapers had to live with and maybe one day he'd come to accept it. But for now, it ate at him. Who had he been? Why had he died?

He sat at the dinner table that night, picking at his foot, his mind too preoccupied with inquiries. It was a silent meal, it seemed like. Alois wouldn't say a word and Grell refused to force him to speak. She knew something was bothering him, she could see the uncertainty in his eyes. Something had happened today…She didn't know what, but she was concerned…

"Is something wrong, darling?" She asked, placing down her silverware and reaching over for the blond's hand.

Only that utterance was able to snap him from his trance. Green eyes looked up at his mother's, fingers quickly fumbling to adjust the glasses that had begun sliding off the bridge of his nose. "I'm…fine, I suppose…" No, he wasn't fine. He knew she knew that. Perhaps she knew what to say about this situation. Perhaps she had the answers to his questions. She was his mother after all. She had to know.

"Actually, Mum…" he spoke up softly, eyes trailing down to the uneaten food on his dinner plate. "I was curious…Where did I come from?"

It was as if Grell's entire being seized up. That question….Jesus Christ, he was already asking _that question._ "Wh….What do you mean?"

The blond shrugged, beginning to pick at his plate once again. "At the Library today, the guide told us that reapers are born from humans. And I thought, since you're my mother, you'd know where I came from."

Oh my…she never thought this day would come so soon. The day where he realized things weren't as whitewashed as they seemed. The day he started questioning things…She'd tried so hard to protect him from this, to make sure he was happy and content, anything to keep his mind from wandering. But her efforts weren't enough, it seemed.

She gave him a sigh, deciding to indulge him a bit. "Yes, that's true. We were humans in our previous lives. We all were. I'm not sure where you came from exactly. It could've been anywhere in the world. But you passed, just as we all do. The person who reaped you decided you had potential in this realm and you were reincarnated."

"But…" He began, still confused. "That doesn't answer my question. Who was I? Was I still Alois?"

"I'm not sure…I never will be." She stated plainly, giving the boy a little shrug. "I found you on the streets, remember? You were unconscious and alone and I took you in. You had your identification in your pocket and it said Alois Trancy. I don't know much more about how you came here. But all I know is that it doesn't matter. You're still my little boy…"

He placed his silverware down, staring at the barely touched plate of food. That…was it? That was all he knew? "I suppose that….makes sense. " He quickly pushed out his chair, standing himself up. "I think I'm going to go to bed…I'm rather tired. Goodnight, Mum."

Grell watched as the blond walked into his room, waiting for the door to close before letting out a sigh. "Goodnight, Alois…"

* * *

_Alois found himself in a field, an earthly field, full of tall grass, buzzing bees, blossoming flowers. He'd never seen something so beautiful before, so refreshing. He felt the cool dew of the grass between the toes of his bare feet. The sun shone, warming his dirt-laced, porcelain flesh. He was no longer in his suit. He wore raggedy clothing, covered in patches and mud._

_He didn't care that he was dirty. He didn't care that he was smaller. He felt happy. He noticed a river up ahead, happily running towards it. He cupped his hands, splashing the cool water against his face. This was beautiful…But something caught his attention as he looked down into his reflection. Gone were his glasses and his vibrant eyes. A pair of large blue ones stared back at him. Big, blue eyes…messy hair...Was he human?_

_But before he could answer his own question, he saw another face in the river. The reflection of a boy, a young boy. He was standing right next to him, which startled Alois, as he hadn't been there before, causing him to jump back, almost falling in the river._

_The boy giggled, running around in a small circle. He wore ragged clothing as well, clothing that was too big for him. He had a mess of unkempt auburn hair atop his head, big, wide brown eyes that were full of wonder, rosy cheeks, a wide smile. "Yer actin' funny…" he giggled again, running away from the blond. "Come 'n chase me! C'mon!" _

_Alois wasn't sure who this boy was, but he felt compelled to follow him. And so he began chasing the boy. He could hear happy giggles and could see the mop of hair bobbing as he ran, but the boy soon darted up a hill and Alois lost sight of him. He didn't remember that hill being there…_

_The blond began climbing the hill….it got taller and steeper as he went along. It was almost like a mountain. He lost the little boy…he could no longer hear his laughter. "Where did you go? Hello?" He asked as he neared the top. _

_It wasn't until he reached the hill's summit that he saw what had happened. There was the boy, alright. But it wasn't as he remembered him. He was entangled in a web of sorts, a giant web. The scent of rotting flesh hit the blond's nose as he looked around. There were others in the web…rotting corpses…dozens of them…men, women, children…_

_He hurriedly looked back at the boy, hoping he was alright….but he wasn't…._

_The boy's eyes were fading, blood seeped from his mouth…there was a large wound in his chest, a gaping hole. He could smell the enormous amount of blood all the way from the hill. The boy was dying…_

_Alois began to scream, running towards the boy, throwing himself onto the web. "N-No….No you can't die! You'll be alright, I promise!" _

_The boy was fading fast. With what little energy he had left, he began to speak. "P-Please, sir….f-fin'…me brother…I-I-I did this fer 'im….ya see…So 'e can be 'appy…"_

_His brother? Alois hurriedly looked around. There wasn't another boy in sight. Shit…Shit! What was he going to do? Someone would come and reap him soon. He couldn't let them…_

"_Oh…it's you…" The boy muttered, a small smile on his otherwise pained face. He looked beyond Alois, closing his eyes. "Thank ya….fer makin' me brother 'appy…"_

_Then he became silent. He was dead._

"_N-No! No you can't die! You can't! Please don't leave me! Please don't!" But the boy wouldn't move. The boy was long past revival. Alois turned around, hoping to find the person the boy was talking to, to blame them for his death, to scream and to grieve._

"_How could you…he was just a boy! He didn't have time to li….." But as he turned around, he noticed a great spider looming in front of him. It had glowing golden eyes, razor sharp pincers, blood dripping from one of its many appendages. This monster had killed the boy…_

_Alois tried to escape, he tried to run…but it was of no use, he was stuck to this web, just as the others were. He began to scream and struggle and sob. No…no it couldn't happen like this. He was a reaper! He was invincible! "N-No! No! Please no!"_

_Stabbing pain…the warmth of blood….red staining the white web…that was all Alois saw as he died._

_He wanted to scream, he wanted to plead, but he could make no noise. All he saw was the golden eyes of the spider coming closer and closer…._

_And then…._

"NO!"

Alois shot up in bed, heart pounding, chest heaving. Tears and sweat covered his face as his body began to tremble. What….What was that? What had happened? The spider, the blood, the bodies….

What had happened to him? More importantly…who was that boy? He'd never seen him before in his life. Why would he dream of something like that?

He laid himself back down into his bed, hoping to calm himself down.

Alois didn't sleep another wink for the remainder of the night.


End file.
